Clasp.



No. 854,254. PATENTED VMAY 21, 1907.

' E. K. sUMBRwBLL.

CLASP.

APPLIoATIol FILED rms. s, 1905.

Witnesses Attorneys.

E. K. SUMERWELL.

- CLASP. APPLIOA'HOK FILED rms, 1905.

f, ,L Attorneys.

1HE mams persas so. w/lsHlNcroN. c'4 c ATENTBD MAY .21 19o?.

l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2r EDWARD K. SUMERWELL, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

CLASP.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed February 6, 1905. Serial No. 244,362.

To @ZZ whom it may con/cern."

Be it known that I, EDWARD K. SUMER- WELL, a citizen ofthe UnitedStates, residing in East Orange, county of Essex, and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clasps, 0fwhich the following is a speciiication.

The object I have in view is the production of a clasp for holdingpapers, letters', etc., which will be very simple, compact and cheap,which will not mutilate the papers and which will hold them in positionto be readily examined. I attain these objects by the device illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of adevice embodying my invention g Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line2-2 of Fig. 1. taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a sectiontaken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and looking toward the corner. Fig. 5 isa section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and looking toward the corner.Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the wire spring, Fig. 7 is a view of themetal blank before it is bent. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified formof the invention,Fig. 9 is a section taken on the linef9-9 of Fig. 8,Fig. 10 is a front view of the complete device, and Fig. 11 is a sectiontaken on the line 11-11 of such figure.

'In all the views, like parts are by the same reference characters.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a finger 1 of spring wire,supported by a fitting 2, of sheet metal, and engaged with and securedto a backing 3 of cardboard or pasteboard.

In Fig. 1 is illustrated a device to be used in connection with avertical filing system, the upper part of the board being shown. In Fig.S is illustrated a clasp to be used for holding papers, letters, etc.,not in connection with any system of filing. As shown in Fig. 6 the wireconstituting the finger 1 is bent at two places, 4, 4, forming ahorizontal portion 5 for engagement with the papers. The two sides, 6,6, are straight when viewed from above as shown in Fig. 1, but arecurved downward at 7 as shown in Fig. 2 so that when the portion 5 isresting against the backing 3, or the fitting 2, or any object placedbetween the two, the sides 6 will be inclined thus leaving an opening 8between the wire finger and its support; The wire is sharply bent at9.and extends backward bedesignated low but nearly parallel to the sides6 as indi- Fig. 3 is a section i line a--b, and c--e.

cated at 10. At a certain point indicated by the numeral 11, the twopoints of the wire are again bent and separated, the ends 12 extendingout to each side.

The wire finger is held in position to hold the papers, by being clampedbetween the cardboard 3 and the fitting 2 and is partly embedded withinthe former. The metal fitting 2 shown in Fig. 7 has a central bodyportion 13 and wings 14 and 15. These wings extend at an angle from thebody 13, the wing 14 having an opening 16 cut therein, and an ear 17extending from its bottom. Openings 18, 18, serve as a means for thepassage of rivets for securing the fitting to the board. One edge of thewing 14 is cut so as to form separate ears 19 and 20, ears 21 and 22being similarly formed upon the wing 15. The blank from which thefitting is made, is bent along the lines a-a, a-b, b--b, c-d, c-e, andZe-e.

The turned over portion formed by bending along the line a-a produces ashoulder or lip 23. The bend b-l) produces a shoulder or lip 24. Theturned over shoulders or lips 23 and 24 together with the body of theblank, form a pocket into which a tablet or card 25 may be introducedand retained. The tablet or card 25 will lie above the clamped edges ofthe papers contained in the file and the contents of the file may beenumerated thereon. The opening 16 in the body of the blank will serveas a window through which the matter written on the tablet Vor card maybe observed.

In Fig. 3 is shown a section of the device, showing the pocket with thetablet or card 25 in place therein, and in Fig. 1'0 is shown a number ofsheets of paper clamped on the file with a tablet showing above theupper ends of the sheets. The 'shoulder 24 also serves as a means forretaining the upper edges of the papers in place as will be presentlydescribed. The wings 14 and 15 being bent along the line bdb, and c-d,to the position shown in Fig. 1, will not be parallel to the bodyportion of the blank, but will rise therefrom at an angle as shown inFigs. 4 and 5. The blank is bent along the line dde, so as to form aturned over portion 26, which will be of service in protecting the-lingers of the user of the device 'from contact with the sharp edge ofthe sheet inetal. The ears 19, 20, 21 and 22 are bent downward along theThe ears 20 and 22 are bent to the curved shape as shown in Fig. 4,

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and thereby constitute'cams, while the ears 19 and 21 are bent to thestraight shape as shown in Fig. 5 and serve as guides for the wirefinger. The straight ears 19 and 21 are arranged to extend closer to thebody portion 13 than the curved ears 20 and 22, as is shown in Fig. 4.All four ears do not extend quite to the body portion 1.3, but leave aspace 27 between the ends of each and the body portion 13 to permit thepassage of papers, etc., under them. These ears serve as a pathwaywithin which the wire finger works. One edge of the body portion 13 at28 is cut off square so that it will form a bearing for the bentportions 9 of the wire finger. @e In assembling the component parts ofthe device, the blank is first bent to shape as described; the wirefinger previously bent to shape is inserted in place as shown in Figs. 1and 2, the portions 6-6 extending over the body portion and the portions10, 11 and 12 under it. The metal fitting 2 is then riveted or otherwisepermanently secured to the backing 3, the wire finger between the metaland the backing being forced or embedded into the latter so that it willbe immovably secured in position. When in place the sides 6, 6 of thewire finger will engage the straight ears 19 and 21 as shown in Fig. 5,and also with the curved ears 20, 22 as shown in Fig. 2. y

The wire of the finger has suflicient elasticity and is so bent thatindependently of the cam action caused by the curved ears 20, 22, itwill firmly engage with the backing 3 at its horizontal portion 5. Theends ofthe wire finger will also have a tendency to spring outward, thatis to say, the two-portions, 6, 6 will tend to separate and will engagedirectly with the straight ears 19, 21, and below the curved ears 20,22. The wire fingers acting upon these curved ears, will have a cameffect which will assist 'in depressing the horizontal portion 5 to thefinger and will also constitute a lock to hold its horizontal portion 5down against the backing or elevated above it at an angle. Thehorizontal portion 5 of the wire finger cannot be elevated unless theportions 6, 6 of the wire be first pressed inward. The upper portions29, 29 of the curved ears act similar to a lock for holding thehorizontal portion 5 of the wire finger elevated above the backing. Whenthe sides 6, 6 of the wire finger begin to engage with the curvedportion 29 of the ears 20 and 22, the arms 6, 6 of the wire finger willbegin to separate, until they assume their normal position, resting uponthe upper portions 29, 29 of the curved ears. The curved ears are soproportioned in relation to the elasticity of the wire finger that whenthe latter is resting upon the upper portion 29 of the curved ears, itwill be held in such position against the de ressing effect of the wire.

n using the device, the operator may introduce his thumb or one of thefingers of his left hand within the space 8 under the sides 6, 6 of thewire finger, lifting the horizontal portion 5 upward and engaging thesides with the top portions 29 of the ears 20, 22. The papers may thenbe inserted below the wire finger and caused to engage with the shoulder24. The left hand edge of the paper will also engage below the wing 15,and abut against the shoulder 30 formed therein, the corner of the paperpassing between the bend portions 9, 9 of the wire finger. Theseshoulders will thereby'serve as a means for centering the paper in placewithin the clasp. After the papers have been inserted, the operator candepress the wire finger, thus causing the sides 6, 6 to spring aroundthe ears 20 and 22 and engage with the lower surfaces thereof, thehorizontal portion 5 of the wire finger thereby engaging with the papersowing to the elasticity of the bent portions 9, and the cam action ofthe sides of the wire upon the curved ears 20, 22.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the metal fitting 2 isextended downward some distance, and thus forms a table upon which thehorizontal portion 5 of the wire engages. The metal fitting is bentdouble, forming the back 32 of metal, which is in two thicknesses. Thewire finger is clamped between the two thicknesses of metal. The upperportion of the metal fitting is extended to form a loop or eye 31 bymeans of which the device may be supported.

In Figs. 10 and 11, an elastic rubber band 33 is shown as employed toretain the lower ends of the papers within the file. Narrow slots 34, 34are made in the lower portion of the cardboard, and at the base of theseslots are short transverse slots 35, 35, slightly longer than the widthof the band. The band is secured in place by having a portion introducedwithin the transverse slots, so as to pass below the slots 34, andaround the top of the board. This rubber to retain the over them.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A clasp formed of a backing of-oardboard, and a metal fitting with aspring wire papers in place by being passed finger, the ends of the wirebeing retained in place by being clamped between the cardboard and themetal and embedded in the former.

2. A clasp formed of a backing of cardboard, and a metal tting with aspring wire finger,`the wire being clamped between the cardboard and themetal and embedded in the former, a portion of the metal being bent incurved form to serve as a locking means for the wire.

3. In a clasp, the combination with a backing, of a fitting of sheetmetal attached' band can be used IOS IZO

to a corner thereof and having a body portion and two flaps at rightangles to each other the said laps being bent over at an angle to thebody portion to form a shoulder for guiding the papers within the clasp,a spring Wire linger secured between the backing and the sheet metalfitting, the said laps having ear portions which engage with and guidethe wire.

4. In a clasp, the combination with a backing, of a 'itting of sheetrnetal attached to a corner thereoi| and having a body portion and twoflaps at right angles to each other, the said flaps being bent over atan angle to the body portion to form a shoulder for guiding the paperswithin the clasp, and a spring wire iinger, the said flaps having ears,the said earsvbeing straight, to engage with the wire and serve asguides.

5. In a clasp, the combination with a backing, of a iitting of sheetmetal having a body portion and iiaps, which are bent over at an angleto the body portion to form a shoulder for guiding the papers within theclasp, and a spring wire nger, the said flaps having ears which engagewith the wire finger, the ears being curved to engage with the wire andserve as locks.

6. In a clasp, the combination with a backing, of a sheet metal itting,having a body'portion. and llaps, the said flaps being bent over at anangie to the body portion to forni a shoulder for guiding the paperswithin the clasp, and a spring wire ringer, the said ilaps havingstraight ears which engage with the wire finger and serve as guides, andother ears which are curved, and engage with the wire fingers and serveas locks.

7. In a clasp of sheet metal, the combination with a backing and aitting of sheet metal, the said litting' having a Hap bent at an angleto the body portion of the fitting, the top of the flap being turnedover forming a support for a card, a portion ofthe metal of the flapbeing cut away to expose the card, a card, and a spring metal lingersecured between the iitting and backing.

8. In a clasp, the combination with a rectangular cardboard backing, ofa metal fit- Y ting attached to it extending across the top of thebacking forming a guide for the pa pers, and a spring wire 'fingersecured at one corner of the backing and extending diagonally across it.

9. In a clasp, the combination with a rectangular cardboard backing, ofa metal iitting attached to it extending across the top of the backingforming a guide for the papers, and a spring Wire finger secured at onecorner of the backing and extending diagonally across it, the wirelinger being curved upward from its freeportion so as to form an openingwithin which the thumb of one hand of the operator may be extended forthe purpose oi lifting up the wire ringer.

10. In a clasp, the combination with a rectangular cardboard backing, ofa Inetal 'fitting attached to it extending across the top of the backingforming av guide 'for the papers, and a spring wire fitting secured atone 'corner of the backing and extending diagonally across it, the wirefinger 'being curved upward from its free portion so as to form anopening within which the thurnb of one hand oi the operator may beextended for the purpose of lifting up the wire finger, the wire fingerbeing engaged by a lock on the fitting to hold it vdownward or upwardfree from contact with the papers.

This speciiication signed and witnessed this third day of February,1905.

EDWARD K. SUMERWELL.

